ELDERLY residents are still suffering six months after the much used 606 Hillsbus service from Parramatta to Castle Hill was slashed by Transport Department officials.

Petitions, letters and questions in Parliament have so far failed to get any answers for the hundreds of regular uses who say they have been left stranded.

Baulkham Hills State Liberal MP Wayne Merton has been lobbying hard for the re-instatement of the original service which now terminates at Winston Hills Shopping Centre and has changed its route.

Last week he again addressed parliament urging Transport Minister David Campbell to “urgently review” the situation and return the 606 to its original route.

Nezley Dawson said several neighbours in her townhouse complex at Crestwood at Baulkham Hills were suffering because of the axing of the 606 service which used to go up Peel Ave.

“These are elderly people who now have to walk up a massive hill. It is just too much.

“They have had their independence taken away from them. They can’t afford to get taxis to the doctors or the bank or a pharmacy.

“They have been told they can catch a bus on Windsor Rd but how can they walk there?

“The government wants older people to stay in their own homes longer and be independent but how can they.”

Cora Lember, 80, who lives near Model Farms at Baulkham Hills said the changes had created “a nightmare” for many people.

“A lot of people have been disadvantaged by this change. We are taxpayers who deserve a service.

“We ring the bus company and they say it’s the Ministry of Transport’s decision but we can’t tell the minister – we haven’t got a voice.”

Dympna Feneley, of Winston Hills, said the old 606 was a very popular service which ran seven days. She said there was no nearby service running on Sunday making it difficult for people trying to get to church.

Mr Merton said it was vital that planning for buses was driven by community needs.